The traditional office tea round is becoming extinct, with workers saying they are too busy to make colleagues a cuppa, says a new study.

Research among 1200 employees found that one- third would rather just make themselves a drink and get back to work.

Many of those polled by older people's charity the Royal Voluntary Service admitted they made excuses for not making a round of drinks, such as waiting until colleagues left the office, or deliberately making a poor brew so they were not asked again.

Two out of five workers said their boss never made them a cup of tea or coffee, even though on average they have five hot drinks a day.

The charity called on companies to help save the tea round as part of its Great Brew Break fundraising event from April 28 to May 4.

Chief executive David McCullough said: "We know first-hand how important a cup of tea and a little bit of shared time can be to a person's life, whether that's a happy workplace or cheering up on older person who might not have seen anyone else all week.

"Taking that small amount of time to talk and share a cup of tea is beneficial to everyone's day. I want to encourage the nation's bosses to do their bit to save the humble tea break by pledging to make tea for their colleagues and raise funds for Great Brew Break."